Abstract
This paper evaluates Hassan’s essay concerning suicide bombing with the aim of gaining an understanding of the phenomenon. In his discussion, Hassan offers three main explanations for the motivations behind these attacks. Initially, he argues that suicide bombers rarely suffer from mental disorders. According to the author, it is also inaccurate to refer to suicide bombers; rather they are more motivated by political reasons. Vengeance also drives some attackers. Such individuals or groups believe that injustices are being or were committed against the population they represent. As a result, if need be, they are willing to sacrifice their lives just to make their enemies pay. The last motivator for suicide bombing is altruism, whereby the attacker is ready to sacrifice his life for the benefit of others.
Keywords: vengeance, politics, altruism
The trend of suicide bombings has its roots in Lebanon in the early 1980s. This tactic was adopted in the civil conflicts in Sri Lanka, Chechnya, and Turkey. In the 1990s, the Palestinians also used suicide bombings against Israel. While many people lost their lives during this periods, it was only until the September 11 attacks in the United States that this phenomenon drew interest for thorough research. Since 2001, there have been many suicide bombings in tens of countries all over the globe. This behaviour can take on various forms and present different explanations depending on the doer. For the purposes of this paper, suicide bombing is considered to be a homicidal killing tool – how life may be used as a weapon. Over the years, terrorist cells have used life as a weapon since it is lethal and cause mayhem and fear in a population (Hassan, 2010). This paper evaluates Hassan’s work to establish that the widely accepted stereotype of suicide bombers being religious fanatics is inaccurate; rather, they are mostly drive by political courses.
In his study of the justifications of suicide bombings, Hassan concluded that they were more politics- than religion-driven. In fact, secular organizations were responsible for most of the suicidal missions carried between 1981 and 2003. Of the individuals who were the actual suicide attackers, only 43% were found to belong to be religious. He also concedes that religion may be used as a recruiting, and motivating tool for potential future suicide bombers, especially after terrorist cells have exhausted their secular ideologies (Hassan, 2010). Thus, in this case, terrorist cells consider suicide bombing as the last resort after they have tried out non-violent means of achieving their objectives.
Given the nature of humans to have a strong sense of justice, another proper explanation for suicide bombing would be revenge and retaliation. However, the thirst for revenge has been found to influence men more than women. Additionally, young people are often more enthusiastic to participate in vengeful acts than their old counterparts. Thus, it is typical of suicide bombers to be young and male (Hassan, 2010). An interesting aspect of revenge is that it brings irrational and adverse outcomes both for the perpetrator and the victim. For instance, the individual seeking vengeance does not consider his or her personal moral values, social standing, or safety when carrying out the attack. Nonetheless, some people are surprisingly willing to perform terrorist bombings for the sake of vengeance. According to them, some injustices have to be corrected no matter the cost, even if it means giving their lives.
A suicide bombing may also be perceived to be an illustration of altruistic behaviour on the part of the attacker. Altruism may be defined as the tendency to consider others’ needs as more important than one’s own. Therefore, an altruist is often willing to sacrifice for others (Westfall, 2009). In this case, the “sacrificial” nature of the suicide is what sets it apart from ordinary suicide because someone doing the latter lacks the murderous intent and believes that life is not worth living (Hassan, 2010). The suicide bomber, on the other hand, values his or her life as being of less value as compared to the collective interest of the group. Altruism, by itself, is a costly action aimed at benefitting others. This behaviour demonstrates the cooperative nature of human beings to bring organization and cohesion in the society. It follows that it is this organization and cohesion that drives some suicide bombers to do what they do.
On March 19, 2016, there was a suicide bombing in Istanbul, Turkey, that claimed the lives of three Israelis and one Iranian. The attack was carried out by a Palestine national and adds to the many of similar attacks that the Palestinians have launched against Israel in the past decade or so (Jung, 2016). These two countries have been warring for more than fifty years, with the main issue being the strip of land that is Gaza. Israel has since abandoned ownership of the land, but some groups disregard Israel as a country. Israel, for its part, decided to control a major part of Gaza’s borders; meaning, they control almost everything entering or leaving Gaza. Several terrorist groups, particularly Hallas, demand that the Israeli leave Gaza because it belongs to the Arabs – demands that Israel is not willing to meet; hence the suicide bombings. Going to past events, it is hard to say the Istanbul attack was a mere coincidence; rather it is likely that it was planned and targeted the Israeli nationals. The rationale for the attacker’s actions is mainly political because he is probably angered by Israel control of Gaza’s borders. Just like Hassan’s interpretation about suicide bombers, Palestine had tried diplomacy and other non-violent means before they decided to use force. Furthermore, this attack is a demonstration because the attacker, in his perception, thinks that, by killing Israelis, he would be able to inflict more fear in them and eventually force them to abandon Gaza. If things happen according to his plan, Palestine would be victorious.
Finally, the paper presents a discussion on the justification of suicide bombing, with Hassan being the primary author of reference. Hassan explains that attackers in suicide bombings are rarely insane or religious fanatics. They are driven more by political reasons than religious beliefs. Some suicide bombers also seek vengeance in these attacks due to the perceived injustices directed towards the groups they represent. If the nature of the injustice is considered to be severe, the attacker may decide that it is worth giving his life. Another explanation for suicide bombing is altruism. In this case, the attacker is the altruist; therefore, he is willing to sacrifice himself or herself for the sake of other members of the group. Considering the incident in Istanbul, Hassan’s explanation is valid because the attacker demonstrated all aspects of a suicide bomber according to the author.
References
Hassan, R. (2010). Life as a Weapon: Making Sense of Suicide Bombings. Flinders Journal of History and Politics, 26, 39.
Jung, H. (2016). On Suicide Bombing-By Talal Asad.
Westfall, D. W. (2009). Why Nemo matters: altruism in American animation (Doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University).
